The Spark
by ardentpen
Summary: Modern AU. She moves in the inner circles and he is making waves in the corporate. Yet both are in places of emotional stasis. One chance meeting has each of them finding their feet, and they start running...
1. Chapter 1

Matthew jogged around the side of the stone building, checking for any other possible entry points.

Four men guarded the door on the left side. One of them was shaking his head at an elegantly dressed blonde, pointing her towards the main entrance.

Yeah, like they would have left any possible entry point open. This was a gala honouring those who had supported Fight for Refugees, a charity that campaigned for those fleeing from war-torn countries. They were hardly going to leave a convenient side door open for just anybody to waltz on in.

Matthew adjusted his bow tie and checked that his hair was still perfectly gelled to one side. If there was a possibility of him getting in, he needed to look the part. At this point, he felt like his chances were about one thousand to one – if he's being generous. Optimism is key, he thought, but certainly didn't feel.

The event had started well over two hours ago now, so speeches should surely be wrapping up if not already finished. He didn't need to hear them anyway and figured that security might be less stringent after the two-hour mark.

No cigar.

Matthew knew better than trying to bluff his way in; there was just no possible way on planet earth he could lie well enough for that. He needed to be clever about it.

It was strictly invite-only, meaning there was no way to throw money at a ticket. Guests needed to pre-register any plus ones names twenty-four hours prior to the gala's start time to ensure entry. They listed all this on the website. It also stated that it was a strictly non-smoking event, and anybody who wanted to smoke needed to leave the building to do so.

Matthew thought his only chance seemed to lie in finding someone who had stepped out for a cigarette break, somehow finding out their name and using it to enter before they could come back in themselves. From the looks of the way security were letting people in, there were no I.D. checks. Still, it was risky. Definitely risky, and not something that he would ever normally entertain doing.

But what choice did he have?

* * *

Mary rolled her eyes.

The founder of Fight for Refugees had just given the room his final address five minutes ago, emphasising the battles faced by those fleeing their homes for safety in strange lands, and here she was listening to Caroline Wellington and her ghastly boyfriend bemoaning how long it took their driver to navigate the traffic on the way here.

God, she hated these things sometimes.

"I'm going to get another drink." She said in her boyfriend's ear.

"Get me another, would you babe?" Will responded, squeezing her hip.

She nodded at him, and then gave a fake smile to Caroline as she indicated to her empty glass.

Mary dropped the two empties on a passing table and headed towards the bar. She weaved through a maze of floor length dresses, expertly dodging any long trains in her high heels. Just before she reached the bar, she side stepped into a corridor and headed for the closest exit.

It was only a couple of hours in, and she needed a break if she was going to last the night out.

"Mary!" An enthusiastic voice said ahead of her.

"Henry." She smiled, praying he wouldn't keep her long.

"Surely, you aren't bowing out yet. Can it even be considered an upper crust event if Lady Mary leaves before the night has even begun?" His smile dripped with charm.

"Of course I'm not leaving. Just going to powder my nose." She said with good nature.

"As though you could make yourself look any more perfect than you do right now." He countered, his eye dropping from her face to the split in her dress then back up.

She smirked at him. "You are a charmer, Henry. I'll catch up with you inside, yes?" And with that, she strode away without giving him a chance to keep her any longer.

The man on the door went to grab his checklist as he saw someone approach in his peripheral vision, but just nodded Mary out when he saw whom it was.

Her name never needed to be checked. It's not like they didn't know who she was.

She veered around the outside of the building, keeping to the side where she wouldn't be seen from the road. The last thing Mary needed was a tabloid picking up a picture of her smoking.

She took a cigarette and light from her bra. She inhaled deeply, allowing her head to spin and her shoulders relax. There was a rail sectioning off the parkland from the pavement that she thought would be just perfect to rest on for a few minutes and give her feet a small moment to relax.

After perching down, Mary took another drag and closed her eyes. Just a few minutes, and then she'd be back to the inane conversations and increasingly loud voices as everyone drank more and more. There was a time when she enjoyed these events, but even then there were always the people that she wanted to avoid. She didn't know if people had become more awful, or she had become less tolerant.

The noise of the voices and music from inside became minimal, and she focused on the sound of the wind in the trees. It reminded her of Downton. How she could go outside in the middle of the day, sit down on the thick grass anywhere on the entire property and hear nothing but the trees and the birds.

"You don't happen to have a light, do you?" She heard a voice in the distance say and opened her eyes to see a tall blonde man having his request denied.

She cared not, and closed her eyes once again hoping he wouldn't approach her. She just needed a few minutes of silence and tried to go back to imagining riding her horse through Downton's grounds.

After just a few seconds, she heard the man ask the question again but his voice wasn't close enough for him to be asking her.

Once again, she saw his request being denied.

Mary sighed, figuring the clueless bastard was only going to continue interrupting her quiet time if he didn't get his light.

"I have one." She called out, hoping her monotone voice would discourage him from further conversation.

He turned quickly, a smile already formed on his lips in relief. He stopped before he'd reached his full rotation, eyes wide and mouth open.

No, this was not someone who usually hung around this crowd. She knew that before seeing his face, but it was confirmed now. He was too polite and too meek in his requests, and she should have met him before if he had been to even a couple of these things.

His dumbfounded expression weakened her exasperation ever so slightly, and she wasn't remiss to notice how brilliantly blue his eyes were. Still, she was annoyed by him and flicked her hair back as she held the lighter out, disconnecting their eye contact.

"Uh, um, thank you." He stammered.

She was paying him no attention; it was as though she was holding out a lighter to thin air. But why would Mary Crawley pay him any attention whatsoever? She was the bell of the ball – the bell of every ball according to the papers – and here she was, sitting outside and smoking a fag.

He took the lighter gingerly, touching only a single finger of hers in the process and feeling like he'd been electrocuted.

I just touched Mary Crawley. Mary Crawley! The boys were never going to believe this. They really wouldn't. He'd be told to stop lying and then they'd make some sort of crude joke about the only kind of celebrity that would go near him.

 _Susan Boyle seems more like it, mate._

Mary glanced up at him after a few moments of silence. He was just standing there, lighter in hand, looking at her.

"Are you not going to light that?" She asked incredulously, before noticing that there wasn't even a 'that' she was referring to. He didn't have a cigarette.

"You don't have anything to light. You surely aren't expecting a cigarette from me as well?"

"No, no, of course not." He responded, and reached into his inner breast pocket. Why hadn't he thought to bring a cigarette? His plan seemed absolutely absurd now. Though he hadn't planned on such an audience. "I thought I had one in here."

He continued to search his pockets fruitlessly. She pushed a heavy line of smoke out of her ruby lips, watching him dig around his suit with a mix of mild interest and contempt. Her eyes were making his cheeks hot.

"Where is it?" He continued, hoping he could think of something clever in the few seconds he had to get himself out of this without looking like a complete fool.

Her dark eyes just watched.

"You don't have one." She stated blandly. "Just looking for an excuse to talk, I expect."

"No! No, you aren't a man." Matthew jumped in, desperately not wanting her to think he was some creep just trying to get a moment with her.

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I see. That's why you were asking those men and not me."

She wouldn't have picked that. Though these days, it was becoming increasingly harder to tell.

"Oh, God, no! It's not like that!" Matthew exclaimed. "I like women, love them actually. Men are great too, don't get me wrong. They just aren't for me – romantically, that is. You are much more my type. Not that I am trying to hit on you, that's not what's happening at all. Not that I don't think you're gorgeous –"

"You are really embarrassing yourself now." Mary cut in with a hint of a smirk, then took another drag.

"Yes, I am." Matthew agreed, relieved he could put a stop to that endless train of prattling. "You know, I don't have a cigarette. Never did." When all else fails, honesty is the best policy.

"Do you make a habit out of asking people for lights for no reason?" She asked.

"Bit of a pastime. Get to know who's who." He nodded, not sure if he was trying to come off as funny or charming. He was coming off as a bumbling idiot.

Her stare remained harsh and he was positive his face resembled a tomato now. Just another straggler on the periphery, she thought. Another face trying to join an exclusive club that did more to hinder than help you. Poor, silly bugger.

"No, well, actually, I'm trying to find a way in", he babbled. "I, quite obviously, do not belong on the guest list and I really need to get inside."

For the first time tonight, she felt mild intrigue. Mary sat up a little straighter but did nothing to alter her expression.

"Just dying to get a chance to ask a socialite on a date, are you?" Mary asked.

He gave an endearing laugh that was a little too loud. "God, no, no. Like any of them would want me anyway! I might be stupid enough to try getting into an extremely secure top tier London gala, but not delusional enough to believe any of them would touch me with a ten-foot pole."

She almost let a smile out despite herself.

"And honestly, I don't want to be touched with that ten-foot pole. These kinds of things really aren't my scene, nor are the people inside my sort." He said, and after a pause added, "You know that already."

Of course she did. Lady Mary Crawley surely knew everyone in that entire building. Well, anyone worth paying attention to, that is. The magazines and papers loved her, though she never seemed to actually give much to the press herself. She was just always at the right events, and she was a photographer's dream. A man's dream too, Matthew noted.

"Then? You are a passionate advocate for refugees trying to get in with the crowd?" She asked.

"I wish my plight were that noble. No, ah, you see, I'm a lawyer." His babbling was not ceasing.

"Ah, yes, now it's obvious." She deadpanned.

He awkward laughed again and continued, "Yes, well, it will be. My client is inside."

He pointed toward the building, just in case she wasn't aware of which inside he was referring to. Mary licked her lips instead of hinting at the laugh that was threatening to escape. He found it very distracting.

"And ah, well, you see, my client. She's in there."

"You've said that."

"I have!" His pitch raised quite a few decibels in response. "She's inside and is getting on a plane first thing tomorrow morning to the Bahamas. You know how it is, needs a break from all the parties and sleeping until two in the afternoon every day".

This time she did smile. It's not like he was anybody anyway, she figured.

"Anyway, my firm just finally – and I really mean _finally_ – closed a settlement deal with her in relation to a hit and run she was involved in last year but the deal stipulates that she needs to have completed the agreement document in its entirety by the end of the week – "

He had just noticed her wry smile and thought she must be truly exasperated with him now.

"I won't bore you with the details but basically I need her to sign this" – he pulled a rather crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket – "before she gets on that plane or the whole things collapses and my job will become very, very difficult for me, if I still have it at all."

"You can't just stake out the place when everybody is leaving and pounce on her then?" Mary asked, her reign of feigning disinterest ending.

"I thought about that option and decided against it because A, she would most likely completely ignore me or wouldn't recognise me as I'm sure she's getting absolutely sloshed in there, and B, based on her own statements from the past year of working with her - which I would liken with repeatedly hitting your head with a hammer – she likes to slip out of the sneaky exits to avoid the press getting a picture of her looking anything less than perfect." He felt out of breath by the end of that.

"I'll admit, you do have me intrigued on who this could possibly be," Mary said, grinding her cigarette into the ground with her Manolo as she stood up.

She was at almost head height with him now thanks to her heels, and for the first time, he was able to take in her complete glorious picture. She was in a glistening black floor length dress that had a single split almost all the way up her right leg. The straps were thin, exposing her shoulders and chest near completely, with the scoop neckline showing just a hint of cleavage. Matthew told himself not to stare, instead focusing on how her long dark hair shone as she moved toward him.

"Oh, well." He got out, barely remembering what they were talking about. "I can't tell you that. Confidentiality and all."

"Oh, pretty please." She teased, taking another step closer. "I let you borrow my lighter."

"I didn't even use it." He countered, and she raised her eyebrow at him. This was more like himself, Matthew thought. He was usually quite an articulate man who could keep his head on straight when talking to anybody at all.

"Then why are you still holding it?"

"Oh, sorry," Matthew said, promptly handing it back and feeling that tinge of newfound confidence disappear. Mary purposefully ran her fingers over the back of his hand as she claimed it, wanting to rustle his feathers that little bit more.

"Still don't want to tell me?" Mary prodded.

"Nope." He answered. "Can't, remember? Besides, you're in this crowd. I'm sure you can figure it out."

"People in this crowd are very good at hiding what they don't want others to see." She said wisely.

"Yes, now that you mention it, I wouldn't have picked you for a smoker." He inwardly cringed. Why, Matthew?

"What, are you going to tell my dad?" Mary half-pretended to be scared.

"Maybe", was all he could think to say.

She smirked.

"I'm not really a smoker. I only do it when I desperately need a reason to be alone." Mary said truthfully, surprising herself. Talking to someone who was completely disconnected from it all, and could do nothing to hurt her reputation, was quite freeing.

"Not all it's cracked up to be in there, is it?" He asked.

"Not at all." Mary gave him a genuine smile. Matthew was dazzled by it. "But don't tell anyone on the outside, would you? We have to keep them interested or else what are we all for?"

He smiled back at her, entranced by her dark eyes that hinted at both her intelligence and playfulness.

"So, who is the hit and run party queen?" She tried to use his starry eyes as an opportunity.

He snapped out of it.

"Haha, nope, no." Matthew shook his finger at her. "You won't get me."

"Won't I?" She pushed, having a little fun.

"Nuh uh. You might be the most attractive person that has ever made direct eye contact with me, and I might be heavily perspiring under this jacket due to the fact that you have given me a few minutes of your time, but I really like my job. Even more than I like your dress, which trust me right now, is a whole lot."

She laughed freely and then stepped back, admiring him for a moment. He was really quite handsome, for a bumbling, middle-class fool.

"What if we can make a deal?" She said.

"What kind of deal?" He asked.

"The kind where I get you in, and you tell me who the crazy behind the wheel is."

Matthew raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Really." She nodded, a glint in her eye.

"Won't your boyfriend care that you are bringing another man inside?"

"So you do know who I am, despite this not being your kind of scene at all." She said with satisfaction.

For the first time since they had started talking, he didn't feel nervous. He looked her in the eyes and said sincerely, "Well, you are hard to miss."

She beamed, and she didn't quite know why.

"And you don't need to be seen by anyone. Besides, not to offend you, but I hardly think Will would feel threatened by you." Mary responded.

He nodded in agreement and looked at the entrance, then back at her. "You can really get me in?"

"Follow me."

From behind, she looked just as spectacular. The dress scooped low on her back, her hair draping against her bare skin and the gown's material twinkling as she walked. He, Matthew Crawley, was following Mary fucking Crawley into an elite London event. It felt like a strange dream or a movie.

Maybe he should drop the surname coincidence to her and really cement his awkward charm. Or maybe it would freak her out. Idea scratched.

She whispered something to the security guard. He looked Matthew up and down grimacing, then nodded.

"Come on then," Mary said after he just stood there for a moment. He almost tripped catching up to her.

The second Matthew passed through the door, she put a hand firmly to the centre of his chest.

"Wha-" He stopped short when he realised how close she was. He noted the sharp angle of her nose before it turned up at the end, proving to him that she was even more beautiful than he had ever given her credit for.

"We have a deal. Give me a name or I'll get you marched straight back over that line." She said using her firmest voice.

"Holly Waterford." Popped right out of his mouth.

She laughed. "Oh God, you were right. I really could have guessed that one!"

"You're not going to go spreading rumours now, are you?" He half teased.

"Please. Unlike most of the people in here who pretend they do, I know how to behave." She said assuredly. "Besides, you wouldn't hear any of the rumours even if I did. It's not like you know anybody here."

"I know you now." He dared.

"Hah! Hardly." She stepped back and gave her hair a toss. "Go on and find Holly then. Save your career. Just remember, I saved it for you."

She began to strut off down the corridor, happy to have had the last word so deliciously, only to realise he was walking with her.

"Don't walk with me." She rolled her eyes. "Honestly."

"Sorry", he said backing away, "I know you have a reputation to protect."

She rolled her eyes again, this time smiling.

Just before he turned to walk in the opposite direction, he added, "Thank you, Mary. Maybe we'll bump into each other again at the pub."

She gave him a final laugh- her third of the night - before turning to formulate a witty response only to find he was already gone.

She would usually be offended that somebody could use her name so casually while barely knowing her, but she liked the way it had sounded from him.

It almost seemed a shame she was likely never to see him again. It was then that Mary realised she didn't even get his name.

 _Reviews and suggestions welcome! Thanks for reading._


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew could hardly believe his luck as he walked away. It felt like a dream. Not only was he inside, but _Mary Crawley_ had got him in here. On top of that, she actually seemed to like him somewhat by the end of it all.

For the first time in his life, he found himself wishing that he were a part of this whole scene because that would mean he would have another opportunity to talk to her. He wasn't a fool enough to think she would ever like him seriously, but conversing with her had been fun and refreshing. It'd be nice to be her friend. The fact that she was also extremely beautiful didn't hurt either. Matthew felt invigorated.

He shook his head, reminding himself of the task at hand. Save your job! Find Holly.

Matthew scanned the room and even though nobody was paying him an iota of attention, he felt like he was about to be pounced on and escorted out at any moment.

The lights had been dimmed, encouraging people to start dancing. If he knew Holly, she would either already be on the dance floor or she was in the bathroom gearing herself up for the night.

He headed towards the DJ decks, trying to look discretely at the girls who had already started dancing without seeming like the creepy guy all alone ogling the women.

When Matthew saw she wasn't there, he headed for the bar. He figured he might as well grab himself a free drink while he waited.

All around him, he could hear people emphasising their snobby accents as they spoke. Everybody was dressed impeccably; even those in the outlandish outfits looked like they had never come across a speck of dirt in their entire lives. There was something unnatural about it.

He observed the people in the room as he waited for his beer to be poured, noting a Channel 4 news presenter and one of those young girls from a talent show pop band in attendance.

"You're not somebody I've seen before." A pretty voice said from beside him.

He turned towards it, and an even prettier face greeted him.

* * *

Mary went to the bar closest from where she was standing with Will before she had left him, hoping to quickly grab a couple of drinks.

She felt two strong hands grab her hips from behind, and she almost let out a yell before she heard, "Where have you been?", being playfully asked in her ear.

She smiled as she turned around. "Sorry darling, I got caught in a conversation with one of those Timple girls."

"Ghastly." He responded, handing her a drink. "You were taking too long so I got us refills."

"Thank God." She said, and he laughed.

"Think you can survive the rest of the night?" Will teased, his dark eyes hopeful.

"Yes, I think I might just be able to." Mary knowingly smirked back at him. Usually, she liked to get out of these things early and not go to the after party. Will loved the after parties - and often the clubs after that - and was always disappointed when she bowed out.

A few years ago, she was right there with him every weekend. But she was twenty-seven now, and tired of the same people and the same scene over and over again. Will was a couple of years older than her, but he sure still loved it.

Sometimes Mary wondered if he'd ever get over himself and grow up. He could be very mature when it came to business and financial responsibility. But the elitist attitude and the parties every weekend had had her growing weary for some time.

Tonight, however, she was ready for some fun. It had been a while, and she felt a rush from the old days. Mary knew it was temporary, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Her boyfriend led her to the dance floor, and she wondered if she would see the lawyer again. Mary thought about if the mysterious blonde would see her, dancing with Will's arms wrapped around her. Maybe he would be jealous. The thought sent her soaring.

* * *

Just before Mary woke, she was dreaming of running towards a river that only seemed to get further away the closer she tried to move to it.

Will shifted beside her, draping an arm across her waist and causing her to open her eyes.

God, she was thirsty.

Mary quickly got up, and just as quickly realised her head was pounding. Combined with the fact that she was stark naked and it was freezing outside of the covers, she felt positively horrid.

"Will." She bumped him.

When he didn't move, she bumped him harder and shouted his name.

"What? What?" He said deliriously.

"Get me some water and painkillers, would you?" Mary said, promptly lying back down and getting under the covers.

When he didn't move straight away, she bumped him for a third time.

"Yep, okay, okay. I'm going." He said, groaning as he got up.

Mary could only hum in response.

A couple of hours spent dozing passed before the two could communicate properly. When Mary noticed the pounding had subsided, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Her gorgeous dress was in a heap on the floor on the opposite side of the room, and she couldn't see her underwear at all. Luckily she always left some things at Will's to get home in. She didn't like his apartment much; it was all sleek lines and cold colours. There was no personality in it at all. When she felt like this, all she wanted to do was crawl under the warm, fuzzy blanket on her couch and watch trash television all day before ordering some form of horrid take away for dinner that she would never normally go near.

Mary slid out of bed and opened the drawer that held her clothes.

"Not yet." Will moaned from the bed. "I hate you always sneaking away."

She smiled back at him as she put her bra on. "I'm not sneaking away from you, I am just sneaking towards being alone."

"Yes, that makes me feel so much better."

She laughed. "If you knew what I really meant by that, you wouldn't be so upset."

"I just feel like you never want to spend time with me." He said a little more seriously. It was true that they more often than not spent their nights apart, and that Mary was nearly always the one deciding it to be this way. She had started her own digital publishing company ten months ago and running a start up required so much of her time and energy that she often liked to be alone to recharge.

Mary gave Will a look. "Are you really complaining after last night?"

Will's smile came back. "I would never complain about that."

"Good boy." She said as she was pulling on a pair of jeans. "I'll see you on Tuesday for that dinner with Tony and Mabel."

She gave him a quick kiss and strode out of his door without looking back.

Staring out the cab window on the way to her apartment, Mary's mind wandered back to that lawyer from the night before. She didn't know why he had popped up in her thoughts; she usually forgot about people like him faster than Edith fell in love with any male who made eye contact with her.

Maybe it's because he was different from anyone she'd had a proper conversation with in so long. She never went past mere pleasantries most of the time; maybe she needs to give people more of a chance.

Just as the idea crossed her mind, Mary saw a man on the footpath spit into a rubbish bin. Well, maybe not all people.

The early afternoon sun peeked between the trees as they swayed, the light dancing across her eyes. She let herself think of the tall blonde some more.

By the time she was home, Mary no longer felt hungover. She brightly greeted Mitchell, the doorman, and rode the gold trimmed elevator to the top floor.

After exiting the lift and opening her mahogany door, she bypassed her couch and went immediately to her room to retrieve her laptop.

Jumping onto her satin bedspread, Mary greedily opened her computer. As she stared at the search bar on Google's home page, she cursed herself for not getting his name. People usually were all too ready to let her know their name when she met them; she never had to concern herself with asking.

Mary began to list the things she knew about him in her head, trying to see if she could remember anything that would help her narrow down who he could be. Let's see. He was a lawyer and Holly Waterford was his client. She could hardly message Holly and ask. They weren't exactly friends and it would be a very odd question to come out of the blue.

She imagined herself calling Holly, "Hi! Holly? It's Mary Crawley. What is the name of that tall blonde lawyer of yours? The one who just closed a settlement for you about your hit and run?"

Besides, Holly was on a plane to the Bahamas right now according to the blue-eyed man and she would probably be very surprised that Mary even knew she had a lawyer.

What else? He was tall, about six foot two or three she would guess. Blonde, blue-eyed – obviously – with a kind of boyish look that, contrary to her usual type, she found very appealing. He could certainly babble, but he seemed clever and strong in his opinions.

None of this was any good in helping her find him online, though Mary did feel as though she might be able to write a character based on him for a novel. She leaned back against her cushioned headboard and sighed.

She guessed he was about thirty, give or take a few years. His accent was sophisticated and his suit looked quite decent, so he must come from some sort of money. But then again accents don't mean much these days and the suit could have been a hire…

She groaned in frustration and shut the laptop lid. This was pointless. It's not like she was ever going to see him again anyway and even if she did, nothing would come of it.

This was just the ultimate sign of her boredom with her social life.

* * *

The week passed without much fanfare for Mary. Dinner with Tony and Mabel was nice enough. Mary much preferred talking to the latter than the former. She always felt as if Tony sat a little too close and leered a little too much. She didn't know why someone as clever and pretty as Mabel stayed with such a buffoon. Mary wondered if anyone thought the same about her and Will.

The only source of drama in the week was not a welcome one. An employee of hers, Damien Morgan, had left the company and had taken three major clients with him when all of them had signed contracts with her for future deals. Damien was claiming the contracts were void on a technicality and _Diamond Publishing_ did not have a dedicated legal department to handle something like this, rather just an outsourced legal advisory firm. It had become obvious quickly that Mary needed a team on hand at all times, and she was frustrated with herself for not getting on top of this sooner. So much was riding on her with this start up. She felt like she had an enormous amount to prove with so many eyes - particularly her father's - keenly on her. It didn't help that it seemed most of the people watching wanted her to fail.

But now was a time to leave all that at the office and begin the weekend. Mary wasn't particularly looking forward to the birthday party tonight. For one, it was Felix Simon's birthday and he was a right cad with all of his father's money at his disposal without ever having held a single job in his now thirty-one years of living. Secondly, she was exhausted and not much up for socialising. But a party was a party, and getting to wear the dress she had made for the occasion was something to be happy about at least. It was a velvet mini in pale blue that seemed to shine as she walked.

She heard her doorbell ring and after one final look in the mirror, she began the night.

* * *

An hour into the party and people were still eating and talking with nobody too tipsy just yet. There were certainly a lot of people trying to be.

Mary had perched herself on a bar stool, one leg crossed over the other. She was delighted to see her cousin Rose not long after entering, and the two were animatedly catching up while members of their circle stood around them.

"Do you know Andrew Napier?" Rose asked, eyes and smile wide.

"Andrew? Evelyn's younger brother?" Mary questioned. "Yes, of course. Not very well personally, but we've sat at a few dinners together and he seems like a nice enough young man. Not as nice as Evelyn, but he is a tough older brother to live up to."

"Oh indeed! And Andrew is so lovely." Rose said excitedly, clasping Mary's hand as she spoke. Every time they talked, Rose seemed to be infatuated with someone new. Yet, her infatuation seemed so genuine, it was hard to begrudge the young girl her happiness. "He just graduated from Oxford, you know. And he loves concerts, just like me."

"Just like a lot of people," Mary said, not discounting her cousin's enthusiasm. "Are you seeing him?"

"He's taken me on a couple of dates. We are going on another on Sunday!"

"Well, have fun and be careful," Mary said. "Though I doubt you could get into too much trouble with a Napier."

"Yes, you could do much worse Rosie." Will's voice cut into their conversation. "I look forward to seeing where it goes."

"She could also do much better," Mary said with a glint in her eye, mostly just to defy her boyfriend.

"And I'm sure you could as well." Will hit back with a smile, handing his girlfriend a fresh glass of champagne.

"Of course I could." She agreed, flicking her hair back.

The group laughed, only to be interrupted by Laura Mason joining them.

"It's good to see your high opinion of yourself hasn't waivered, Mary," Laura said with good humour.

"I doubt it ever will," Mary said with a smile, standing to give Laura a kiss on the cheek. While they were not exactly friends, Mary and Laura had always had an affinity for one another.

Laura's mother was a politician who campaigned extensively for women's rights and education, while her father was a respected heart surgeon. While her family were not exactly high born or high society, they were clever and kind. Laura was always graceful, and conversing with her was a pleasant change to the asinine chatting Mary put up with from most people.

"Are you here alone?" Mary asked, as she waved Will off a seat. "Join us."

"Thank you," Laura answered, taking the stool. "But no, I'm not here alone. My date is just in the bathroom."

"Your date?" Rose piped in. "Oh, do tell me it's that gorgeous blonde I saw you with at the last party! What was his name? Jordan something?"

Laura laughed. "Oh no. Jackson was sweet but not for me. Though my date is another gorgeous blonde."

"Someone we know?" Mary asked, just as Laura jumped up.

She waved her hand in the air. "Over here!"

Mary took a swig of her champagne, not particularly interested in Laura's date. She leaned over to say into her cousin's ear, "Do you have a plan for when you'd like to leave tonight?"

"Leave!" Rose exclaimed. "The party hasn't even begun!"

"She's just teasing, Rose." Will stepped in. "Mary's not leaving."

Mary was just about to retort, when an approaching voice paralysed her.

"I do hope my intrusion isn't making you talk of leaving."

From behind Will and a couple of his friends, emerged the lawyer being pulled in by Laura. He was dressed in a navy suit, with a white shirt casually unbuttoned at the top. His hair was gelled, but not nearly as perfectly as it had been last Saturday. A lock fell across his forehead as his eyes found hers. He smiled.

Everybody else gave the intruder a laugh, with many voices assuring him that it was not his sudden presence that sparked any kind of conversation.

Mary just stared at him. His eyes suggested he was in on something she wasn't, as if he had known she was going to be here. It made her feel like she had been tricked, or was in some kind of odd dream. He had appeared in her dreams a couple of times this week.

"I'm sorry to intrude, nonetheless." He said, managing to tear his eyes from hers to address the group.

"Don't be silly," Laura assured him, rubbing his arm as she did so.

Mary was in such shock that watching Laura rub his arm was the first time she realised that the lawyer was her date. The gorgeous blonde man was the lawyer! Her mind scattered, trying to piece it together.

"Would you like a drink?" Laura asked him.

"I'd love one." He smiled at her, and Mary felt a twinge of annoyance.

Laura recruited Will to help her with a round, and the lawyer used the small opportunity to tease Mary a little more.

Leaning in, he whispered, "Not exactly the pub I thought we'd run into each other at, but I suppose an upscale bar at a grandiose private event will do."

"What are you doing here?" She asked sharply, though her demeanour had recovered just enough that she drew no attention to them.

He laughed lightly. "I'm on a date."

"Have you tricked me or something?" Mary was frustrated. "Are you dating Laura and last week was all a scheme to have some fun with me to alleviate your boredom?"

He laughed a little again and said, "God, no. You don't seem to have a high opinion of your friend! I only met Laura last week at the gala, after you let me in. We got to talking at the bar, and she asked me if I'd like to come to a party with her this Friday. I said yes."

"Just like that, huh?" Mary asked, still haughty. The explanation made enough sense, but her annoyance wasn't waning.

"Just like that." He repeated, and she noted how much more confident he seemed now than he did last week.

"Well, didn't you turn out to be quite the charmer? Our near entire conversation on Saturday seemed to consist of you bumbling over words most five year olds have mastered. Yet by the end of the night, you had a girl who is both clever and pretty asking you to a party the following weekend."

"I suppose I got out all my bumbling with you." He countered mischievously. "Plus, Laura's isn't nearly as fierce an opponent."

"Opponent? That's what you call someone you talk to, is it?" She questioned.

"Not usually." He smiled down at her, and for a moment she felt like she was back living last Saturday night, with this strange man making her feel oddly giddy.

"You know I never got your name." She whispered up to him.

He kept her gaze and said, "I didn't think it mattered to you." She noticed how his eyes dropped from hers for a moment, taking in the short hemline of her dress and the long legs that came out from underneath it. She found herself searching his face for a look of approval.

She shone in pale blue, her dark hair and eyes making such a contrast with the rest of her appearance that it reminded him of the moon in the night sky. She was positively striking.

His eyes came up from her legs, and he gave her the smile she was looking for.

Right then, Laura cut between them, shoving a fresh drink in each of their faces. "Matthew! I see you've become acquainted with Mary. I assure you, she does retract her claws eventually."

Both Matthew and Mary gave a delayed laugh.

"Though they never retract entirely, Matthew." Mary said, pausing before saying his name for the first time. Matthew. It suited him. Strong and soft at the same time.

"I'd expect nothing less, Mary."

The conversation seemed a little too familiar, prompting Laura to ask, "Do you two know each other?" She pointed a finger between them. "Hang on, are you related?"

That made Mary jump out from her reverie. "Related? Why on earth would you think we are related?"

Mary looked at Laura as though the girl needed to be committed to an asylum.

"Oh, well, obviously not then!" Laura laughed. "You have the same last name. Mary Crawley, Matthew Crawley." She pointed between the two respectively.

Matthew smiled knowingly, but Mary felt bewildered. The man she had been cursing all week for not telling her his name, the man she had spent hours scouring the internet for in the hopes of finding out his identity, turned out to have almost the exact same name as her barring a few letters? How ridiculous!

Matthew held out his hand to her. "It's nice to meet you, Mary. I assure you, I have never known anyone from my family to be related to someone from the aristocracy so I doubt we could be any relation of significance."

She looked at his hand for a moment before taking it, lightly clasping her fingers around his.

"What a relief." She said, meaning it to sound more like an insult than it did.

His hand dwarfed hers, and he held on for a little longer than she did before releasing her. Mary found herself staring into his eyes, and knew she needed to quit it immediately before anybody noticed her strange behaviour.

"Here, sit you two." She said, hopping up out of her seat. She moved quickly, not giving them a chance to keep her.

Mary made her way over to Will who immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in. She pretended to engage in the conversation he was having with Mark, a colleague turned friend of Will's, about their company's investments in the last quarter. While not her favourite subject of conversation, Mary could usually keep up with their industry jargon and had a small interest in finance. Right now, however, her mind was on Matthew and Laura. She was trying to subtly look over at them but she felt like he was watching her and didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

When she finally caught a glimpse, Matthew was sitting on the chair she had just given up with Laura perched on his knee. They met last week! How could they possibly be this close already? It was so classless and uncivilised, to be draped across one another like that in public.

Matthew was engaged in conversation with Amy and Stuart, a couple of their friends that had been standing around. It was like he had completely forgotten she was there. She hadn't seen him try and look over once! It had only been a few minutes, but she couldn't help herself. Curious to hear what they were talking about, Mary said, "Let's find more chairs and sit with the group."

Never one to deny her anything, Will obeyed.

Mary heard Matthew give his full name as her boyfriend provided her with a seat..

"Oh! Hang on," Amy said excitedly. "You're not the Matthew Crawley from Swire and Sampson, are you?"

"Not anymore. I was previously." He answered.

"Yes, of course." She responded. "That's why I ask. I read about your leaving the firm after spending so many years there and headed for a top post! I hope I'm not prying, but I just couldn't understand why you would leave such a lucrative job."

Mary wanted to roll her eyes. Trust Amy to both pry and show off her knowledge of the London law scene. She was so proud of herself for becoming a lawyer when most other women in their circle either didn't work, or only did so in fluffy jobs that required little brainpower.

"Don't worry, you aren't the first to ask." Matthew said with grace. "The truth is I was too comfortable, and I had some personal reasons for needing a change. Where I am now is certainly tougher, but I think I'm becoming better for it. At least, that's what I'm telling myself."

His response was both gallant and sincere. Mary pondered what his personal reasons could be while scanning over him comprehensively now that she knew his eyes weren't on her. He looked good a little bit more casual, though most men would still consider his outfit to be very dressed up. His suit was high quality, and clearly tailored for him, which impressed her. She kept going back and admiring his hair, the blonde floppy locks such a stark contrast to her usual dark haired type. That lock was still hanging down his forehead, just begging to be pushed back. It was then that she noticed that he looked a little uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if it was all the attention, or Laura on his lap, but it was obvious to her that he wasn't having a great time.

"Enough with the work talk, please." Mary interrupted. "Not all of us like to continue our weekends with conversation of what we've been doing all week."

"I agree," Rose said.

"I need the ladies." Mary said, and then directed at Laura, "Come with?"

Matthew was relieved that Mary had offered an out from his current predicament and smiled at her as she walked away with Laura.

"So tell me about this date of yours." Mary said, reminding herself not to seem too curious. "Is it love?"

Laura laughed. "This is only the second time I've ever seen him so I don't think we are quite there yet. He is lovely though, and very clever. I like that he's not a part of all this as well. Shows just how intelligent he really is!"

Mary had to agree.

"Have you got any other dates planned?" She asked.

Laura was surprised Mary was asking so many questions. She had never taken an interest in anyone she had dated before. "Not yet, but I'm hoping he will ask me at the end of the night if all this hadn't scared him off by then."

"End of the night?" Mary asked suggestively.

"Well, I hope so." Laura responded with a raised eyebrow, "But honestly, I don't think it will happen. He doesn't seem like the type."

"The type who likes sleeping with women?" Mary was incredulous. There was only one thing she was certain of about Matthew Crawley at this point; he liked women.

"Hah, no! I hope not at least," Laura laughed. "I just don't think he'll try tonight. He seems so…" She swayed her head searching for the right word, "respectful".

Mary understood what she meant, yet it still didn't seem like reason enough for him not to try a little harder. He clearly knew how to flirt. She had no doubt he could be respectful and get a girl into bed at the same time.

"Well, it's his loss then isn't it?" Mary said, believing it to be the other way around. "Enough of the boring boy chat then. What else has been happening with you?"

Mary didn't really care, but she didn't want to seem interested in Matthew. Nor did she want to seem too interested in Laura's love life just in case the girl suddenly thought of her as her confidant. The last thing she needed was constant updates on Laura's love life, especially if Matthew ended up asking her on more dates.

* * *

Though Matthew's appearance had made the night more interesting than she had originally thought it would be, Mary still found herself wishing she could be elsewhere. As the night went on, everybody got inevitably drunker and started hitting the dance floor. She let Will twirl her about for a while before she felt he was sufficiently inebriated to leave him with his friends and she could walk away.

She spotted Matthew sitting alone on the chairs they had all occupied before. He didn't look bored or annoyed. He seemed to be having enough fun just watching Laura dance with her friends.

Mary walked over and sat down beside him.

"What are you doing here all alone?" She asked.

"Well I'm not alone anymore." He said smiling at her. "And I'm not a very good dancer."

"I don't think anybody here is," she countered, "but is that a reason not to dance?"

He grinned. "No, I suppose not. I'm not always this boring, I promise. I guess I'm just not in the mood."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "For dancing?"

"Cheeky." He laughed. "Yes, for dancing. What about you? Getting dizzy from all that twirling?"

"You were watching me?" Mary asked teasingly. She was pleased.

"I've already told you that you are hard to miss." He answered while keeping his eyes trained on the dance floor.

He kept surprising her, the way he answered her questions like that. It wasn't how the game was usually played. It was supposed to be more subtle, as if you could pass the conversation off as though it wasn't flirting at all if you wrote it down on paper. He wasn't playing by the rules. And yet, she liked it very much.

"So it sounds like you are quite a big shot lawyer," Mary changed the subject, but she really did want to know about his job.

"Don't know if you could quite say that," he said humbly. "It certainly doesn't feel like it these days."

"Hmm, yes. What were those _personal reasons_ you referred to earlier?" She asked, openly prying. God, she was as bad as Amy.

He smiled. "I kept trying to sneak in to all these fancy events and my boss decided it was too embarrassing to keep me around."

"Ah, well, at least your reasons are believable." She said. They sat in silence for a moment, though the music vibrating through the room hardly made it a quiet affair. She didn't want to have to make an excuse to leave or go back to her boyfriend. She wanted to talk to him some more.

An idea occurred to Mary. "Are you really any good though?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It's not exactly party talk but I'm having a bit of a legal issue at work," Mary said. She never spoke business to strangers and absolutely hated to admit that she was having faults in her own workplace. But this was an opportunity to talk to him some more, away from all this, and she felt like she could trust him.

"Oh?" Matthew said in a surprised tone, yet he was clearly curious.

"I won't bore you with the details here, but I am looking for some advice." She offered, hoping he would take the bait and she wouldn't have to do any more of the work.

"Well," he said, trying to read her expression for what she wanted from him. "How about I give you my card and we can have a coffee to talk about it sometime this week?"

She tried not to show off a huge grin. Hook, line, sinker.

Mary took the card and said, "I'll fit you in my schedule."

 _I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your words of encouragement and follows to this story. Let me know what you think and suggestions are always welcome!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the wait everyone! Life got in the way. Thank you so much to everybody for your kind words and encouragement - I'm very happy you are enjoying this little idea that had been nagging at me for a while. This is the final 'set up' chapter before it starts getting into the good stuff. As always, constructive criticism welcome!_

Mary got to the little café tucked away in a corner of Kensington earlier than she'd told Matthew to arrive. She wanted to get the back table that offered a little privacy.

She sent him a text message once she'd sat down so that he would know where to find her. She felt oddly nervous about meeting him, like she was preparing for a job interview or talking to a potential investor. It was just coffee with a lawyer. And a middle-class lawyer at that.

Although he really did seem to have made quite a name for himself. Once Mary had discovered Matthew's name and previous firm, tracking him down online was straightforward. He'd even had a few articles written about him. Some to do with cases he'd worked on and others about his departure from Swire and Sampson. Amy was right when she said he seemed to be heading for the top job there. Mary couldn't deny her curiosity was piqued about why he had left.

Nevertheless, she was happy he was a decent lawyer because it made her feel like their meeting could actually be useful and not just a farce for her to see him again. _Diamond Publishing_ already had a legal advisory team that she could turn to, and her father could point her in the direction of plenty of reputable solicitors with impressive records. She cringed at the thought of admitting any sort of failure - even a small one - to her parents. And even though she would absolutely deny it if asked, she was happy for an excuse to spend some more time with Matthew.

He walked through the café door and spotted her in the back. Her hair was tied up which he hadn't seen before and she was far more casually dressed than any of the other times. Though casual to Mary Crawley was what dressing to go to a fancy dinner party was to other people. Her tailored cream slacks emphasised her long legs, and her loosely buttoned up white shirt gave her an air of sophistication that he thinks would be impossible to replicate. She was typing away on her phone looking particularly engrossed in whatever she was writing.

"You know, I half expected you not to be here." He said, causing her to look up.

"I never back out of commitments." She replied as he took his seat, giving him a smile.

"I'll remember that." He noted while she took in his casual appearance. Jeans and a loosely fitted shirt accentuated his handsomeness. She almost felt silly for thinking that he wasn't noticeable. To the ordinary woman, he was striking. Hell, he was striking to her.

"Was it far for you to get here?" She asked. Mary hadn't known where he lived, so she chose somewhere close to her home that she knew was relatively inconspicuous.

"No, not really," Matthew answered. "How did you pull up on Sunday?"

They had both left Felix's birthday not long after their chat. Will had gone out with his friends while Mary went home, and Matthew left with Laura. Mary hoped somehow it would come up in conversation naturally that he had dropped her at her door, without so much as a kiss goodnight.

They made a bit of small talk, both not really knowing how to interact now that they were in a normal setting. Matthew decided to be bold and break the mould quickly.

"I have to say that it's no wonder you let me into that event. Most of those people on Saturday were very boring."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. He'd said it with humour – and fully meant it – but realised it sounded like he was dissing her friends.

But then she laughed. "You aren't wrong about that. You know it's a worry when someone like you can be construed as exciting."

She was teasing him, and he felt his nerves disappearing.

"Maybe I only shine by comparison, but at least you think I'm shining." He quipped.

They fell into an easy conversation that was filled with light-hearted barbs before he asked her about her troubles with work. Ever the pragmatist, Mary pulled out a document from her bag for him to sign to make sure he couldn't speak of it outside of their conversation. He was impressed by her efforts. It became obvious to him very quickly that she was extremely serious about her work and desperately wanted to succeed on her own terms.

He was clever enough to know that she didn't need him. She definitely had people at her disposal that she could turn to about this, yet here they were. He couldn't help but feel a little chuffed that she wanted to spend time with him, and business law was his forte so he knew he could provide her with real help.

She took him through the signed contracts of her now previous employees and the document Damien had sent her claiming they were void.

"I'll give him credit," Matthew said, "He's done well. Weaved a nice little story here to try and get himself out of trouble, but as long as you rebut with a strong working team you shouldn't have an issue refuting him. It's just going to take a bit of work."

"Do you think it will need to go to court?" She asked nervously. She desperately didn't want this making it to a courtroom, where the press or her family could find out.

"It's doubtful. In all likelihood, this will be settled outside of court as long as he's somewhat reasonable and you make a firm case." Matthew said, jotting down some notes on the contracts.

He had transformed before her eyes from a witty, charming guy to a dedicated and no-nonsense lawyer. She had known he was clever by the strength of his conversation, but it was obvious to her now that he was rather brilliant. And he was no pushover either, something she might have previously assumed. It was oddly arousing. She found her mind drifting away from the business while his seemed to become more absorbed by it. His hair was flopping down again while he studied the pages, and she wanted to reach across the table and push it back for him.

Mary raked her eyes over his broad shoulders, wondering what it would be like to have him trap her against a wall. She wondered what he would be like as a kisser.

"Do you feel confident that the team you already have will be up to the task?" Matthew asked, looking up from the page to find her staring at him, biting her lip. It almost gave him whiplash.

He'd become so absorbed in the papers for a moment that he'd forgotten who he was with, and the look she was giving him said she was certainly not thinking about work.

"Uh," She said after a moment. "Yes. Well, no. Sorry, no."

Was she bumbling? Had he just caught Mary Crawley staring at him, and now she was bumbling? He started to smirk.

She gave a slight shake of her head, repositioning herself and said, "No, I'm not. I need to hire a new team to work onsite for me. One I'm confident is made up of some of the best London has to offer and will ensure this kind of thing cannot happen again."

He had to give her credit; she recovered herself very well. But he was still smiling.

"Well, if you need some recommendations," Matthew said, unable to wipe the grin off his face. She knew exactly why. It was making her feel hot. She never gets embarrassed! "I know a few good people. I can put you in contact."

"That would be lovely. Thank you." Mary said, trying to regain her composure.

"How about I give some people a call, and I'll see if they can come to your office sometime this week?" He offered.

"Will you come with them?" She asked, knowing it probably wasn't the best question to ask in an effort to portray her neutrality.

"I can if you like." He said.

"I'd like an expert opinion. They might seem great to me but I'm not a lawyer." She explained.

"Then I'll come. Perhaps I should come alone one day beforehand to get a feel for your office so I know what type of people would be best suited." It wasn't lost on Matthew that she'd just given him a compliment either.

"Only if you have the time," Mary said, not wanting to become a burden on him whilst very much wanting to see him again.

"I have time for you." He grinned as he made yet another effort to make direct eye contact with her.

She simply nodded at him then looked down at the menu, pretending to be interested in ordering something other than coffee.

He watched her while she read over it, and she felt him doing so. He was far too happy with himself, but she was far too affected to retaliate just yet.

God, she was beautiful. It was almost easy to forget when they got into the throes of conversation. But now it was quiet, and it seemed the most obvious thing in the world. It was almost as if she were too elegant for this modern day they were living in. She had the kind of beauty where you could pick her up and place her in any century past and she would be considered gorgeous.

Mary looked up, having had enough of his staring now. "Have I got something on my face?"

"No." He smiled.

She wanted to knock the smug little grin off of his mouth. So she deadpanned, "So, tell me. You and Laura, is it love?"

"Hah, no." He answered swiftly. "She's a lovely girl, but I'm not sure it will go anywhere. We don't have much in common."

Mary felt a sigh escape her chest. "You require much in common with a girl before dating her?"

"Not so much common interests, I suppose. But common conversation, or humour. You have to match on some level." He answered, and she nodded in agreement.

"You didn't have good conversations?" Mary probed.

"They were nice, don't get me wrong. They just didn't have that spark." He said, maintaining eye contact with her. "I might be being too hasty. It's only been one night where we didn't get to talk that much."

"Didn't talk much, did you?" She asked suggestively.

He smiled. "That's what I just said."

They looked at each other in silence for a few moments. He wasn't going to give her anything. She didn't want to seem overly interested so she followed with, "Well, I really should get back to the office then."

"I should probably get to my work as well." He said.

"In that outfit?" She asked incredulously, looking him up and down.

"I don't have any clients today." He smiled. "But thanks for looking out for me."

They went to the counter to pay, and a card fell out of his wallet as he was pulling cash out. It was a room key for Palace Oak in Soho, an upmarket hotel.

"You're staying at Palace Oak?" She asked, surprised. "I thought you lived here?"

"I do." He said simply, as he collected the card off the counter and put it back in his wallet.

"Then?" She asked when he didn't say anything to follow up. He was quite frustrating with this nonchalant attitude and assumed veneer of secrecy. Like he had anything to hide!

"Then why are you so nosy?" He laughed. "Do remember that we hardly know each other."

They walked out the café door together. Trying to not be seen together was a concept lost to Mary now.

"Oh, now you decide to become a man of mystery!" Mary said exasperatedly.

"You can call me that from now on if you like." He said cheekily while hailing a cab.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you have anything scandalous to hide."

"What makes you so sure I don't?" Matthew questioned, knowing full well he didn't have anything juicy to disclose. He couldn't help but want her to remain interested.

"You hang around with snakes long enough and they become easy to spot." She replied.

A cab pulled over and Matthew opened the back door. "You hop in this one. I'll get another."

Mary hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave just yet but realising she had to. "Thank you."

As she got in, he said, "I'm glad you don't think me a snake. Call me and let me know a time I can come in later this week?"

"I will."

* * *

Mary let out a sigh, pinching the skin on her forehead together as she lay back in her office chair.

"You'll get wrinkles if you keep doing that," She heard Anna's voice say.

Her blonde assistant-turned-best-friend walked into the office with a sympathetic smile on her face. Mary quickly let go of her forehead.

"Thanks for reminding me," Mary said, straightening up in her seat. "I hardly need wrinkles on top of everything else."

Anna took a seat on the couch at the side of the room and said, "It's not so bad. It's just going to take a bit of time. All start-ups have their set backs."

Oh, Anna. Ever encouraging and kind. Mary found her influence calming unlike most goody-two-shoes types. They had met at Mary's last job where Anna had started as an intern. So many of the interns that came through were far too eager to please and lived for rewards. They were all about praise and veneer yet hardly ever did any of the hard work. Anna, however, went about the work quietly and efficiently. Mary noticed and became even more impressed when speaking with the shy blonde who was very humble in the face of commendation. They had been a working pair ever since.

"When is the lawyer getting here?" Anna asked.

"Very soon," Mary responded. "Distract me until he gets here. Tell me something funny, or stupid. I don't want to think for a moment."

"I'm going on a date tomorrow night," Anna said.

Mary snapped her head towards her friend. "Well, that could be both funny _and_ stupid. How is it two in the afternoon and we have been here since nine and you are only telling me this now?"

"I didn't want to bother you with something trivial while you were stressed."

"Always bother me with news like this, please. I'm happy for the break!" Mary nearly exclaimed. "Who is it? Not that John guy who works downstairs?"

She hoped to God not and her expression did little to hide her distaste.

Anna laughed. "No, not him. Though well done at appearing encouraging if he was the guy!"

"He's too old." Mary dismissed with a shrug, relieved.

"He's nice." Anna defended. "But it's not him. His name is Peter and he goes to my gym. He asked me last night."

"Well, I'd like to meet this Peter if it gets past two dates," Mary ordered. "I won't let you waste your valuable time."

"Are you saying this as a boss or a friend?" Anna asked amused.

"Both," Mary stated, then looked down at her watch.

She frowned. Matthew should have been here by now. Surely he couldn't forget her!

"What's wrong?" Anna asked, noting the sudden shift in Mary's mood.

Right as Mary went to answer, her phone rang. Anna answered and let her know that the receptionist was showing Matthew through to her office.

"Oh," Mary said, smoothing out her dress and quickly rushing to take her seat behind her desk. Anna watched her in mild confusion. Her boss seemed flustered and she didn't think she'd ever witnessed that before.

"Is anything the matter?" Anna asked, concerned.

"What? No, nothing's wrong." Mary answered, running her fingers through her already perfect hair. "Does it seem like there is?"

Anna went to answer but was interrupted by a knock. Matthew stood at the opened door with a sweet smile.

"Hello. Sorry, I'm late. The tube was a nightmare." He said, walking inside.

"I almost thought you were going to renege on your offer," Mary said wryly; her raised eyebrow telling him she was playing.

"Such drama for ten minutes of being late!" He countered, then turned to Anna and reached out his hand. "Hello, I'm Matthew."

"Anna." She said, taking it.

Anna didn't quite know what to make of the situation. All she had heard from Mary was that she had a lawyer coming in to give some advice on the legal trouble they were having. She certainly hadn't mentioned anything about them being friends nor had she ever heard of a Matthew Crawley before. Anna had pictured some middle-aged stuffy type who had connections with Robert.

Matthew told her that it was nice to meet her and took a seat opposite Mary. He seemed keen – excited almost – to be there, and Mary's expression told Anna that her interest was most definitely peaked. Over legal trouble? Anna couldn't wrap her head around what was happening.

"Have you found me anyone yet?" Mary asked bluntly. She never spoke to people in business like this, especially upon a first meeting.

"I've made a few calls but haven't locked anything in yet," Matthew replied. "How about you show me around and explain the business to me?"

"If you like," Mary answered, hopping out of her seat.

Anna observed the two as they walked around the small but stylish space. Mary explained how the idea for the company came to her three years ago when she spotted a gap in the market between social media and traditional methods of publishing. Matthew complimented the space and her determination, but the whole conversation was layered with this odd kind of tension. Anna quickly determined that it was not a negative kind, but it was wrought - and perhaps even flirtatious.

She looked over Matthew. He was undeniably handsome and clearly quite clever, two things that she knew were very appealing to Mary. But he wasn't a society boy, nor was he from nobility or connected in any way Anna knew of. It seemed odd to think her usually cool, dignified boss would flirt with him, let alone allow herself to become flustered in his presence.

She continued to observe as they sat back down and began to discuss the matter at hand. He was very charming and made every effort to befriend Anna. Unlike most people that came in to meet Mary, he didn't ignore or belittle her. By the end of it all, Anna almost felt a strange affinity with him.

As the meeting finished up, they determined whom Matthew would be calling and the dates next week that suited both of them to conduct the interviews.

"Well, I suppose I'll be in touch in the next few days." He said, getting out of his chair. "It was lovely to meet you, Anna. I'm glad to see Mary has such wonderful support behind her."

Anna smiled graciously and shook his hand again. "Thank you. Although, I think she would be just fine without me."

"Nonsense." Mary dismissed.

"I hope you both have a great weekend." He said, eyeing Mary.

"Are you up to anything outrageous?" She asked, not wanting him to leave just yet.

"I'm having lunch with my mother on Saturday and have my friend's five-year-old son's birthday party on Sunday. Just wild." He smiled, and she smiled back. "And you?"

"Well, I can hardly compete with plans like that." She responded. "I'm seeing my family as well."

He nodded, and said, "Enjoy."

He took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "I'll see you next week."

It sounded like a promise.

"See you." She replied, watching him walk down the hallway.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Anna stood in front of her with a questioning gaze.

"Do you want to tell me exactly what that was?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you so much to everyone for your kind words! Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this – I am currently going through my busiest time of year but will be updating more regularly in a couple of weeks when things die down. This chapter has a lot of background, set-up and dialogue that is important to the rest of the story – I hope it's still entertaining for you!**_

Cora blew her candles out to a reception of laughter and cheering.

"Happy birthday!"

Robert leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek while everybody else around the table clapped. They were seated in a private room of an upscale restaurant so there was no reason to be quiet.

Mary grabbed her glass of champagne and raised it to clink with her mother's. "Happy birthday, Mama."

"Thank you, darling," Cora said as she tapped her glass against her eldest daughter's.

Robert and Cora lived at Downton and it was a family tradition to celebrate down there. However, this year Cora's birthday fell on the same day as an annual charity lunch she and Robert always attended in London so they had decided to host a dinner afterwards in town.

Sybil was seated down the opposite end of the table to Mary, to the frustration of them both. They hadn't seen each other in a few months between Mary's hectic work schedule and Sybil constantly travelling and being asked to speak at various charitable events. Mary seemed like the kind of older sister that would cast a large shadow, yet Sybil never once tried to follow in her footsteps.

They were going to a play together next week so Mary reconciled that catching up would have to wait until then.

It didn't help that Robert had spent most of the dinner questioning her on her business, checking that she had things under control. She knew he loved her and wanted her to succeed, but when he asked questions with that slightly condescending tone, she felt completely undermined.

Will had been kneading her thing under the table all night, which meant she knew exactly where his mind was headed for later on. She had to stop herself from shuddering. It hadn't been long enough for her yet.

Mary excused herself to use the bathroom, feeling her phone buzz with a text message as she went.

It was Henry.

 _Coming around tonight?_

* * *

"Next round is mine, fellas." Matthew said as he rose from the table.

"Good man," Tom said, giving his friend a thumbs up as he headed towards the bar.

A group of Matthew's friends that he'd had since school had gathered at their local jaunt to watch the football. The game had just ended with a one-point victory and, as usual, all hell had broken loose.

The pub wasn't hip with its dark green carpet and dingy pool tables, but it was a local favourite and still attracted a large crowd every weekend. The kind of place you could go in a big city like London and bump into the same people over and over again.

The bartender dropped the round of beers Matthew had ordered in front of him.

"Would you like a hand?" A pretty brunette said from his left.

Tom, Matthew's best friend from childhood, watched the exchange from his seat. The sod wasn't much good at flirting and was in desperate need of some action in his life, despite his protests that he was doing fine in that department.

When Matthew joined the table again, Tom said, "Got a bit of attention up there Matty".

"Ladies just can't resist." Matthew deadpanned, dropping the drinks in front of his respective friends.

Tom prodded whether he got the girl's number or had any plans to go and talk to her again, but Matthew brushed him off. Tonight he just wanted to relax and leave the workweek behind him. He was doing well at his new office but he didn't feel at home there and was unsure if he ever would. Leaving his last firm was a huge decision that shocked everybody in his personal and professional lives. Matthew knew it was the right thing to do despite all the protestations, yet he still desperately wanted to prove to them all that he was doing better than before. He currently didn't have much of a leg to stand on.

"I know you say it's over with Lavinia," Tom went on. "And I'm accepting it! But if it's really true then it's time to get back out there."

"I have been out there." Matthew bit back.

He explained his dalliance with Laura with as few details as he had given Mary. Tom's eyebrows shot to the roof in interest yet quickly returned to their regular position when he realised that what he thought was the introduction to the story was actually the entire tale.

"That's it?" Tom gave him an extremely unsatisfied look.

Matthew wanted off the topic.

* * *

Mary sat in the back of a black cab alone on the way back to her apartment. When they were stopped at a red light, she watched from her window as two girls stumbled their way down the street laughing in short skirts that rode up too high on their legs. They looked like they were having a lot of fun.

Mary sighed and checked her watch. It wasn't even midnight yet.

She felt rather pathetic and not at all like being alone despite emphatically telling Will that was what she wanted as she waved him off for yet another night on the town without her. Resting her head against the window, she thought about the way Will always looked at her with those expectant eyes every Saturday and how quickly they went dull when she told him she wasn't coming along.

The River Thames reflected the streetlights in a mesmerising dance on the water's surface. Mary watched it from the car as it took off down the street, unable to escape the coldness that enveloped her whenever she really let herself think about her boyfriend. He was out there now, probably going through the door of some club with a band of stragglers eager for his attention.

She shut her eyes and took a breath. She wondered what Matthew was doing now. It had been over a week since she'd seen him. They had communicated only by email and phone since their last meeting and Mary thought that was probably for the best after the flustered fiasco at her office. She imagined him at home in some little apartment with a wall full of mismatched books and a clean kitchen apart from a few dishes in the sink.

They turned into Shaftesbury Avenue and Mary sat up. The Palace Oak was just around the corner. Matthew had the mysterious room key when they were at the café.

"Excuse me," she said to the driver, "Do you mind dropping me at the Palace Oak instead?"

She knew it was a long shot and that it would be quite embarrassing if he actually turned out to be there. However, she had just the right amount of alcohol flowing through her body from dinner to give her the courage to try anyway.

She got out of the cab and the doorman let her in without a question. Mary couldn't remember if she'd ever stayed here but she knew she'd been inside on a few occasions.

Approaching the front desk, she wasn't quite sure what to say. A place like this was unlikely to be lax on security. A male receptionist lifted his head on hearing her come up and his eyes went wide.

He knew who she was. Mary smiled her most charming smile.

"Hello. I was hoping you could help me," she said, leaning over the counter.

"Of course." He choked out.

"I'm looking for Matthew Crawley's room." Mary watched the young man's reaction to her request carefully. His expression showed neither recognition nor confusion, just surprise.

She felt silly. It had been a couple of weeks since she'd seen that room key fall out of his wallet.

"Sorry," the man said after a pause, "I wasn't aware you knew Mr Crawley. That is – I know who you are and he didn't mention knowing you." He flustered. "Is he expecting you? As I saw him leave earlier this evening and haven't seen him return yet."

He was staying here. Mary was silent for a moment. She hadn't thought of what to do next. She didn't expect him to actually be staying here. But now that she knew that he was, she found herself dying to get upstairs. It would just be any other boring hotel room but she was curious, and all that awaited her at home was an empty apartment.

"He's my cousin," Mary told the receptionist. "Third or fourth cousin. I left my coat here a few days ago and was hoping to get upstairs to retrieve it."

"Oh!" The man's surprise had only increased. Mary could tell he wanted to ask a dozen more questions but, to his professional credit, he restrained himself.

He grabbed a heavy looking set of keys from the hook on the wall behind him. "Follow me, I'll take you up."

Mary couldn't quite believe that was all she needed. She supposed she had done bolder things before, but it didn't feel like it. They stepped into the elevator that had walls made entirely of mirrors, including the ceiling. Mary checked her reflection then watched the man press the button for the sixth floor – one from the top.

The hallway had dark walls and gold lights that ran along it. Mary felt shivers lightly pricking her arms as she walked down. When they got to the last door, the receptionist opened it for her and seemed to be waiting.

"Do you mind if I meet you back downstairs? I might just use the bathroom to freshen up." Her tone was sharp and commanding despite her polite request. She didn't want to give him room to turn her down; a trick she had picked up in her workplace.

He left her to it and she entered.

* * *

Matthew rolled out of the cab, slinging his jacket back over his shoulders as he went.

"Call me tomorrow to discuss next weeks shenanigans." Tom barked from the car.

"That's your job," Matthew replied, shutting the cab door and giving the roof two slaps.

He walked into the sleek lobby and raised a hand towards the boys on reception. "Night."

"Mr Crawley," Luke said, rushing over to him from behind the desk.

"It's Matthew, Luke."

The boy looked quite manic, sweat beading from his forehead.

"Matthew," Luke corrected, "Your cousin is upstairs."

Matthew frowned. He hadn't had that much to drink and Luke was a generally reliable sort. "My cousin?"

"I took her up about an hour ago and she said she was coming down but I'm starting to think she may have fallen asleep." Luke rushed out.

"There's someone asleep in my apartment?" Matthew's voice became louder as he spoke and he started to rush towards the lift. "Luke, I don't have a cousin."

Luke followed him, panic in his voice. "She said you were distant cousins. Lady Mary, you know, the one that is always in the papers?"

Matthew stopped short just before the elevator door. "Lady Mary is in my apartment?"

Luke nodded. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. My mistake." Matthew cut him off. "It's been a long day. I was only thinking of first cousins. I know Mary."

"Oh." Luke sighed in relief. "Good!"

Matthew quickly wished him goodnight and prayed for the elevator to reach the sixth floor at lightning speed. She couldn't really be in there, could she? How did she know he lived here?

He had to stop himself from busting open his front door, stopping before and forcing himself to open it in a calm fashion. The light of the city shone through his tall windows and Mary's silhouette stood out against it.

She turned around in a jump.

Mary felt her heart rate increase as she stared at him from the other side of the room. His hand still rested on the doorknob as he stood puzzled by her presence in his flat.

The distant noise of cars beeping was all to be heard.

"You have a beautiful view." Mary eventually said, nerves swelling around her heart.

"Thank you," Matthew said back, taking a few more steps into his apartment. He wanted to say something clever to break the tension of this very odd situation, but the words weren't coming.

"Do you live here?" She asked.

He nodded.

"I didn't know you could live here. I thought it was just hotel rooms."

"Only two rooms have been converted into apartments," Matthew replied as he slowly made his way around a couch. "This is one of them."

It was her turn to nod. Mary turned away from him and put her eyes back on the view. She hadn't known what her plan was when she'd come up but she expected some level of the same banter they'd been having in their last meetings. Some more teasing, and definitely some more flirting. She wanted to shock him and take control but she couldn't get enough of a handle on her nerves to even look at him.

She didn't want to ask how he could afford this place even though she was dying to know. It wasn't anything over the top or flashy like her flat but it was warm, clean and certainly upmarket. He had a couch that she knew was worth thousands because she considered buying the same one for her office. It was next to a wonky, handmade looking shelf that seemed like it had been picked up from someone's front lawn. It was filled with worn out books and had a single picture frame on top.

"I suppose you're wondering how this could be my place," Matthew said, coming to stand beside her.

She felt his shoulder brush against hers and inhaled sharply. She tried to focus on the park that was narrowly spotted in the distance. It only looked like a patch of black at this time of night.

"Well, I wasn't going to bring it up but now that you have," Mary lightly joked.

He gave a little laugh and she felt herself relax a fraction. He explained how his father was a general practitioner and his mother a surgeon, both having made decent salaries. They were quite respected in Manchester, so much so that his mother was eventually offered a job in a London hospital when Matthew was twelve causing them to move down.

"I've never come close to running in your circles but I've never been poor either," He told her with a wry smile. "Though I suppose that might as well be the same thing to you".

She shrugged a shoulder.

"Dad made a few good investments and this was one of his biggest. He was a smart man but he never aspired to great wealth or status. A normal guy, really. If those exist."

"Was?" Mary asked.

Matthew nodded. "Was. He passed away nine years ago."

He watched her beautiful features pull together in anguish and thought she was going to rest a hand on his shoulder. Instead, she kept it by her side and said, "I'm sorry".

"It's not your fault". He smiled. She smiled back.

Matthew didn't want to ask her why she was here and scare her away. Her hair was in a loose ponytail with tendrils framing her perfectly made-up face. This was clearly not her first stop of the night.

"Where have you been?" Matthew asked. "Or did you get all dressed up just for me?"

"You wish," Mary replied and went on to explain about her mother's birthday and how she hadn't wanted to go out, yet hadn't wanted to go home yet either.

He asked about her family and she told him about Downton and her sisters. She had grown up on a country estate with a house in London, always switching between the two. Her sister Edith was now travelling around Europe, taking pictures for a living. Sybil was always in the papers for her charity work, putting everybody else to shame.

"I don't think it's possible for anyone to put you to shame." Matthew cut in. "I have read about Sybil though. She's very impressive".

Mary smiled in satisfaction, proud of her baby sister and happy that he thought her impressive. A lot of her friends said they admired Sybil because they knew it was what you were supposed to say about someone so selfless and non-materialistic, but Mary knew they didn't understand why she would spend her time championing the little guy when she could be sipping champagne by a pool every day.

"Do you have siblings?" Mary asked.

"No. Just me." He answered. "The cat that walks by himself."

She knew he was joking, but she figured it gave her the perfect opportunity to pry a little further. "So, no women on the scene to aid your loneliness?"

The corner of his mouth went up. "Nope."

"Not Laura?"

"I thought we'd been over this."

"Well, you gave me absolutely nothing so we actually never got started." Mary zipped back.

He dipped his head, coming up in a laugh. "No, it's not going anywhere. She is lovely, but I don't think I'm the type of guy to make her happy."

"Why not?"

Matthew shook his head from side to side, wondering if she was ever going to let this go.

"We have a lot in common." He answered.

Mary frowned, waiting for more of an explanation. He said nothing. "Oh, right. Yes, that sounds like a terrible match."

He rolled his eyes. "She's," He paused, "too much like me, I suppose. She needs someone with a stronger personality. So do I, I think".

They went quiet. Mary had so many questions buzzing around her head, trying to figure out which way to play this. But he jumped in before she could decide on what to say next.

"That's how it works best, don't you think? When you are different."

He could see her considering his comment. He wondered if she spent much time thinking about this sort of thing. He certainly did.

"Are you and Will different?"

The buzzing stopped. He'd completely thrown her off with that question. Will hadn't entered her mind since she'd walked in the building.

"No." She answered honestly. "Though it does feel like we are becoming less alike as time goes on. I don't think it's in the way you mean though."

"Oh?" He asked.

"We think the same sort of way and we are from similar families. We have known each other for a long time and have always had shared goals. But we don't really talk too deeply about anything. And he still loves going out every weekend and I've grown out of that," Mary explained. "As old I sound saying it."

Matthew reassured her that it didn't.

Mary contemplated being completely honest. It was the time to say it if ever there was one. Once she did, it could open a floodgate to many more things. Things she wanted.

"He's probably sizing up the girl he's going to take home tonight right now."

The noise of the street faded away and Matthew snapped his head towards her. "Wait, what?"

Mary just gave him a knowing smile before looking back out the window.

"Are you two," He tried to measure his tone as spoke, "in an open relationship?"

Mary laughed out loud then. "No."

His puzzled expression also showed concern, and she couldn't leave him in the lurch much longer.

"He thinks I don't know, but of course I do." She said. Mary went on to tell him about how over a year and a half ago, she realised he was bringing other girls home whenever she didn't end the night with him. It had been a pair of underwear he obviously hadn't known had been left behind under his bed that tipped her off. Suddenly his strange behaviour of the recent month made sense to her, why one day he had been frazzled and ridiculously attentive to her every whim for no apparent reason. How that sort of attitude came and went at odd times, always after a weekend.

"The funny thing is, I know he really does think he loves me. He wants us to get married." She almost rolled her eyes when she said it.

"I don't understand," Matthew said. "Why would you put up with that?"

She was pleased with his implication that she didn't seem like the passive type. Mary told him about their families and how they were so entwined that breaking up would cause a huge rift between them. She told him how Will's father was her biggest investor in _Diamond Publishing_ and how she just couldn't afford to lose that. She found out about the other women right at the time she was about to finally start up and she had worked too hard to let anything affect it.

"I know it's stupid," Mary said. "But I also just didn't want to deal with it all. Being single, having everyone talk. I didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of gossiping about me. I had too much else to worry about."

Matthew frowned the whole time she was explaining. He understood, he thought, for the most part. It was hard to digest. How could anyone want some random girl when Mary was at home? How up his own ass was this guy not to see that? But one part of the story just didn't resonate with the person he'd carved Mary out to be.

"But," He paused. "How do you bare him? Knowing all that. I just can't imagine you being the sort to take it lying down."

She smiled at him, turning away from the window for the first time to face him properly.

"It was hard at first. Not only to stop myself from screaming at him but to go through the motions of pretending to want to be with him. Kissing him and sleeping in the same bed, it all just felt very wrong." She said. "But it became easier when I realised his feelings for me hadn't changed. He wasn't doing it because he didn't want to be with me anymore or because he no longer found me attractive; he was doing it because he thought he could get away with it. And because I wasn't giving him all the attention he needed, as pathetic as that sounds."

Matthew guffawed, still finding it hard to swallow.

"And I get my own back, in my own way." She added, breaking eye contact with him to take a walk around the room.

"What do you mean? How?"

Mary stopped in front of his bookcase with the photo frame on top, looking at the picture for the first time. It was a much younger looking Matthew, smiling at the camera in genuine happiness. A man and woman she assumed were his parents were either side of him. She couldn't see their faces properly because they were both too busy looking at their son. Mary could tell they were proud. And even though it was just a picture taken years ago, she felt looking at it like Matthew was exactly the sort of man she had been thinking he was. Good and kind. Honourable.

Anxiety pierced her belly. A man like him wouldn't do anything like what she had done. What she was about to tell him.

"Mary?" He prompted, and she realised he had come up behind her.

She turned slowly and looked up at him. "I'm afraid I'm going to shock you."

"I'm a lawyer. I'm sure I've heard worse." He offered.

Mary looked into his blue eyes, realising she couldn't remember anyone's being quite his colour before. She hadn't had a chance to reflect on them since that first night they met. Nothing had really happened between them since then but she felt like so much had changed.

"I've been seeing someone else," She finally said, "since the night I found out."

His eyebrows went up and she could tell he was trying to remain stoic despite his obvious surprise.

"It's been my way of still feeling in control, I suppose," She continued, feeling like she needed to fill the silence, "It's not an excuse. I'm sure you'd never do anything like it".

Matthew's hand came up to lightly rest on her shoulder. "You shouldn't put me on such a pedestal."

She looked at the ground and hoped the darkness of the room would hide the rising colour in her cheeks.

Matthew wanted to pry but he could see how embarrassed she was. It felt odd, seeing her embarrassed. Even though he hadn't known her for long, he could tell it wasn't an emotion she displayed often. He wanted to make her feel better, like she didn't need to worry about what he would think.

"I left my last job because I didn't know how else to break up with my ex-girlfriend." He said.

Mary's eyes shot up. "What?"

Matthew signalled towards the couch, taking her hand and leading her over. As they sat down, he began to tell her about getting lucky leaving college and finding a job as a junior associate at a top firm straight out. Mr Swire, the more senior of the two name partners, took a shine to him quickly. So did his daughter.

Lavinia was still in university when he started working at Swire & Sampson, but she had a part-time job there as a legal clerk while finishing her studies. She was the sweetest girl Matthew had ever met, and pretty to match. She'd always stay much later than she needed to, helping him with the extra work her father had given him. Reggie had helped Matthew's career advance much faster than it would have through all the extra cases he had handed the younger man's way. He was testing Matthew, giving him as much as he could handle to make him learn as fast as possible. It had worked.

Matthew and Lavinia fell into a relationship easily, and after some initial trepidation from Reggie, her father came to love them together.

Lavinia finished her studies and got a job as a paralegal there. She and Matthew then worked together for five more years. After two, they moved into their own flat. By the time the fourth rolled around, it was a given to everybody in the firm – including Reggie - that they would be married sooner or later.

Matthew paused his story to look at Mary, who was completely absorbed.

"So, why aren't you married?" Mary asked, trying to mask her fear. Was this where he told her of his dying love for another woman?

"Because I realised I didn't want to be." He answered, shame in voice.

"You didn't want to be married at all, or just to her?"

Matthew told her how he had always wanted to get married and have a family, and how Lavinia seemed like his perfect girl. Everything had gone exactly to plan after he finished university. He got a great job and excelled in it. He met a wonderful girl with a family who adored him and he adored them back. Financially he was very secure. He had absolutely nothing to complain about. And yet, he found himself bored.

"Bored?" Mary asked in surprise.

"I know how selfish it sounds. The poor little boy who got everything he wanted and then realised it wasn't everything it was cracked up to be," He sighed, "but that's what happened. I loved my job, but I knew exactly what was coming. I loved my girlfriend, but I knew exactly where our lives were going. Life shouldn't be like that."

"There was no excitement," Mary said.

"No." He looked at her and saw understanding. All his friends thought he was mad. So did his mother. Not to even get started on Reggie and Lavinia.

"So what did you do?"

He had told Lavinia he needed a break. It was cruel. After five years, he knew she had been expecting an engagement ring at any moment. Instead, he gave her a spiel about how everything was too perfect and told her he needed to leave their apartment. Reggie was convinced it was a phase and refused to acknowledge Matthew when he tried to speak to his mentor about it.

Seeing Lavinia every day only made it harder to stop from falling back into the easiness of their relationship, and he soon realised his job needed to change as well if he was going to make a real difference in his life.

"So I left." He told Mary. "Took up in dad's investment flat across town in an area I never thought I would live in. Got a job in a much more junior role at a different firm. Completely horrified everyone."

"It's very brave," Mary said, resting her hand on his knee.

"Doesn't feel like it."

"It is," she insisted, trying to prevent her eyes from glassing over, "I wish I could do something like that. Do something that will actually change everything and not just look for the shiny, temporary fixes."

The apartment went silent. Mary was conscious of her hand on his knee but didn't care to move it. They still hadn't turned any lights on.

"There is this guy, named Henry," she began, feeling like it was her turn to explain, "We've moved in the same circles for years now and I've always been very attracted to him and I knew he felt the same about me."

Matthew listened, making sure not to show disappointment at the thought that she could be in love with someone else who wasn't even her boyfriend. She explained how it was always just a harmless flirtation. She knew Henry would never try and pursue her while she had a boyfriend even though she could tell he wanted to. And even though she had always found him wildly gorgeous whenever she was with him, she was never tempted before she found out about what Will had been doing.

Mary had waited outside Will's place in her car for three hours the Saturday night after she found the underwear under her boyfriend's bed. It was the craziest thing she had ever done, but she needed to be sure. Around 3 AM he rolled up to his place in a cab, and there was a girl on his arm. Not just any girl either. Her name was Sarah Woodgate and Mary had known her for years. She was a good, safe choice. Sarah wouldn't dare tell anyone but would have just loved having the attention of Mary Crawley's boyfriend. Mary could easily imagine Sarah telling herself she was the more desirable of the two because of it.

Mary called Henry from the car, asked him for his address and drove straight over. He'd answered the door in concern, not having any idea why she'd randomly decided to come to his door in the middle of the night without any precedent. She hadn't let him ask any questions; she'd just kissed him.

"And that's been my coping mechanism for the past eighteen months." She ended. "Feel free to now banish me from your place in horror."

She couldn't get her tone to match the joke. She looked at the floor, then out the window, then back at the floor again.

Then she felt his hand come up behind her back, resting between her shoulder blades.

His eyes were kind when she looked up.

"I could banish you, I suppose. Not because of any of that, but because you technically broke in."

She laughed, grateful that he seemed quite undeterred by her scandalous story.

"In all seriousness," he said, "you don't need to feel embarrassed with me. I understand."

"Really?"

"Well, I understand your actions. I can't even begin to describe how much I don't understand your pig of a boyfriend."

He'd come off a little harsher than he'd meant to, but he had been keeping his rage under wraps ever since she'd told him about Will.

Mary smiled. "He is a bit of a pig."

Matthew wanted to ask why she didn't make the decision to leave him now. Despite all the reasons to do with her family and work, it had been over a year and a half at this point. Surely she had to be working up to leaving him. But Matthew didn't want to pry, even though he had just shared with her some very personal information.

He was right to do so because Mary didn't want to talk about all this anymore. She'd come over here with some fun in mind. She'd expected banter and received emotional confessions in the moonlight; it was all very dramatic and far too weepy for her usual demeanour.

She spied an invitation on top of his coffee table. The number 30 was printed in white large font offset against a dark green background. A birthday invite. She read down and found herself a perfect conversation topic.

"You're turning thirty?" Mary asked with much more bounce in her voice than before. She picked up the invite, seeing that the date was set for next Saturday night.

"Ah, my secret revealed!" He joked. "I'm getting old."

She gave him a real smile this time, the first one to reach her eyes all night. "Why do you have an invite to your own party?"

"Because my friends organised the whole thing. I didn't want to have one."

"Well, that's no fun. You have to put them on sometimes if you want to get invited to others."

"I don't care that much about going to parties."

"Like I said, no fun." She quipped. "So when is the actual day? Or are you over the hill already?"

Matthew grinned, taking the invite from her. "No, it's luckily really on Saturday."

"Ah, one week before the clock runs out." She teased. "I don't suppose you'd invite me?"

His eyebrows went up. "Is it something you'd really want to go to? It won't be anything like what you're used to. And to be honest, my friends might make far too big a deal out of you being there. I'm talking an embarrassing amount of fawning. Not to mention how much they'll rip into me for not mentioning you."

She laughed at him. "Don't worry, I'm joking. It would be nice to see your world, though making a spectacle of myself hardly sounds like something I need right now."

"Well, maybe we can do something else." He offered bravely.

Mary paused, taken back but intrigued by his suggestion.

"Like what?"

"Like," he began, "I'm going to the premiere of _La Rue_ on Friday night. Any chance you have tickets as well?"

 _La Rue_ was a French play that had been raved about in the papers and lauded all over the Internet. When it was announced it was being brought to England, people went mad for it on the presale making the ticket prices skyrocket. In the end, only the rich and famous managed tickets to the first three months of the show.

Mary couldn't understand how Matthew could possibly have tickets for the premiere; she couldn't even get one for herself! She'd had to go through Sybil, who had been invited by one of her charities.

"I do," Mary answered in amazement, "and not to be so rude twice in one night like this, but how do you have tickets?"

"My mother." He said bluntly, though he was pleased with how floored she was. "She is a huge theatre fan, and years ago performed heart surgery on the father of a man who now runs the Lyceum. She asked him for tickets for my birthday, and still had to pay through the nose for them despite the connection, but she got them."

"Well done, mummy," Mary said.

"Well done, indeed." Matthew said, "You should come up and say hi, if you can."

"I'm going with my sister," Mary responded, letting him know Will wouldn't be an issue, "but we'll have to wait and see."

"Oh, only if your majesty's time permits it." He mocked.

They were sitting so close that their thighs were touching all the way up. Mary wanted to lean in and rest her head on his chest. Have him wrap his arms around her. To look up and kiss him.

But after everything they'd talked about tonight, she knew it wouldn't be right. She saw the clock on the other side of the room blinking 3:14 AM.

"Gosh, I've stayed here late," she said, detaching herself from him and the couch, "I'm sorry, you probably wanted to go to bed hours ago."

"I'm fine." He said, hoping she'd stay a little longer. Just to talk a little more, though it was nice having someone to cuddle up to. He'd missed it.

But she was already getting up, so he asked the question he stopped himself from asking before.

"Why did you come here?"

She looked down at his kind, curious eyes. Despite how obvious she was being, coming to his place uninvited in the middle of the night and hiring him unnecessarily, he still looked unsure. Hopeful, but unsure.

"I like talking to you." She answered honestly. "And I suppose I had other ideas. I've lost them now."

He perked up at that, rising from the couch with a playful grin. She had already turned away and started heading towards the door, but she knew what the look on his face would be.

"Other ideas, hey?" Matthew questioned, following her. "Like playing Scrabble?"

"I was thinking more like Twister," she said, stopping at his front door and turning back.

He was right behind her, and they were suddenly closer than they had been all night, face to face.

"Twister sounds good," He whispered.

She raised her eyebrow at him and whispered back, "Does it?"

He could feel her breath on his cheek. He gave a slight nod, too distracted to give a proper response, and leant in.

She let him come all the way to her mouth, and just as his lips touched hers – so lightly she wasn't sure if contact was made at all – she moved away.

"Make sure you find me on Friday," Mary said as she walked towards the elevator in the hall.

He put his head down, letting out the air he had been holding in, almost in a laugh.

"Will another night of talking await me?" He followed her, watching her step into the lift.

"I didn't come here to talk." She said, looking him in the eye as she leant back against the elevator wall.

Gone was the soft Mary now; brazen Mary was back. The one who he had been flirting with since that first night they had met. All confidence and pointed stares.

He stared right back and decided to match her boldness.

"So you came to replace Henry with me?"

Mary's face showed no sign of her surprise, bar the slightest quiver of her lip. Right as the elevator doors started to close, she answered, "Maybe."


End file.
